Monthly Archives: September 2014

On September 26th at 12:30h, our colleague Fred Sanders defended his PhD thesis, entitled ‘Duurzame Ontwikkeling door Collectief Bewonersinitiatief’ (‘Sustainable Development through Residents’ Collective Initiatives’). The thesis is available online in the repository.

On 1 October, the end results of the “SpininhetWeb” project, led by our former colleague Peter de Bois, will be presented in Amsterdam. One of the results is a website, an open knowledge platform dedicated to compile an innovative and effective system of methods and techniques for urban expertise. Although the urban-knowledge website is bilingual (Dutch/English), the seminar will be in Dutch. If you want to join, please have a look at the seminar website.

Feltins, Aleksandrs (2013) Research on How to diversify microrayon. A pattern language for user control facilitating urban design in large postwar estates. The case of Plavnieki, Rīga. Repository. Main mentor: Egbert Stolk; second mentor: Paul Stouten.

Tom Avermaete and Maurice Harteveld both encourage the architect to take on a social relevant and cultural related position as safe guarders of the public domain. But what exactly can be the role of the architect in today’s society? Is there an alternative to the modernist position of relative autonomy? Both researchers will give their advice to the architectural profession.

Moderator: Hans Teerds
This confrontation lecture will take place in Room A from 8:45-10:30

I want you to become aware of a specific ‘urban issue’. Something that is hot, something new, something that matters. You can pick any issue yourself, as long it has an impact on the quality of life of citizens, and as dealing with that issue will effectively change cities.

I want you to explore that issue by means of research, in order to learn how design (or planning) can improve (or worsen) that issue.

Finally I want you to formulate solutions, and implement these solutions by means of design.

Due to closing of small businesses, more and more vacant store fronts appear in the Mathenessweg in Rotterdam. Besides deterioration of the business climate, this also negatively effects the perception of safety and liveability in the area. To tackle these problems residence set up neighbourhood enterprise. With support of the housing association Havensteder they commissioned Veldacademie to investigate possibilities to reduce vacancy and improve the liveability of the area.

Within this context Veldacademie organizes a special workshop in collaboration with the Urban Fabric studio as part of your curriculum. The workshop offers you the opportunity to work together with architects on a real case and learn new methods to deal with the urban issues at hand in Rotterdam deprived neighbourhoods. We happily invite you to join and read more on our website.

On 12 September Ekim Tan will defend her thesis “Negotation and Design for the Self-Organizing City: A Game-Based Approach to City Making” (download here). This official ceremony will take place in the Aula and will start at 12:00.

From the summary (pp14-15): “This thesis proposes Generative City Gaming as an innovative urban planning and design method built on the tradition of serious gaming. Going beyond the educational scope of other serious games, the ultimate aim of city gaming is to become operational in urban processes – a goal in the process of making a reality since 2008, when Generative City Gaming was first applied to a real urban questions in the Netherlands, later expanding to Istanbul, Tirana, Brussels, and Cape Town. “Negotiation and Design for the Self-Organizing City” reports on six of the twelve city games played to date which were instrumental in the evolution of the method.”

The Play the City Talk Show will start at 19:30 in Amsterdam. The talkshow has a great line-up of professionals who gather to discuss the relevancy of City Games to Collaborative City Making. Don’t miss it!

As an urbanist, I had been participating in real practice for twelve years, mainly in Rotterdam, in urban renewal processes. I had been published about this issues books, papers in international journals and films. My main topics are urban regeneration design strategies, urban planning, socio-spatial processes, sustainable development.

I am an anthropologist who loves to explore new ways of thinking, sensing and doing the city. In my research and publications I focus on the intersections between theories of the city, anthropological fieldwork and practices of urban design and (interior)architecture. My main interest is in the anthropology of urban space, as it relates to issues like the meanings of home and community, public, private and parochial space, narrative cartography, the relations between architecture and the everyday, the use of branding and public art in gentrification neighborhoods, and the practices of domination and everyday resistance.